Chelsea supporters simply cannot wait for the 2025–26 Premier League season to get underway, and the world champions take to the field on Sunday afternoon.
Momentum from their Club World Cup success permeated into their victories over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan as part of the club’s condensed preseason. There’s a sense that this evolving Blues outfit could challenge this term after fading over Christmas in 2024–25.
However, their opening weekend duel has the makings of a banana skin. Chelsea will be expected to beat Crystal Palace in west London, but the Eagles love playing against the division’s best.
Enzo Maresca has already gotten familiar with several of Chelsea’s shiny new toys this summer, and here’s the starting lineup he could pick for Palace’s visit this weekend.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—It looks like Chelsea are going to resist signing a new goalkeeper this summer, so Sánchez enters 2025–26 as the club’s No. 1 again.
RB: Reece James—Maresca will hope that his captain can enjoy an injury-free campaign after years of persistent fitness issues.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—The centre-back was an injury doubt heading into Chelsea’s opener, but the boss has confirmed that Chalobah will be fit to feature, and likely start.
CB: Jorrel Hato—The newest arrival appeared off the bench in both of the Blues’ friendlies, but could make his full debut on Sunday. With Levi Colwill out for the long haul, the versatile Hato has a big role to play.
LB: Marc Cucurella—Hato supplies depth at left back, but Colwill’s injury means Maresca will lean on him at the heart of his defence. Cucurella isn’t going to be displaced anytime soon, and may well have signed a new deal before kick-off on Sunday.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—An integral figure in this Chelsea team, Caicedo was excellent last season and superb at the Club World Cup. They need him available for the vast majority of their league fixtures to have a chance of competing at the summit.
CM: Enzo Fernández—The Argentine will move up from the pivot and spend plenty of time working alongside Cole Palmer higher up the pitch. Fernández emerged as a useful box-crasher last season, and his role is unlikely to change.
RW: Pedro Neto—It’s been an emotional summer for Neto after Diogo Jota’s tragic passing, but it has at least been a positive period for the winger on the pitch. He enters the new season as Chelsea’s starting right-winger.
AM: Cole Palmer—It was a down year for Palmer on the numbers front in 2024–25, but he reminded us all of his genius during the latter stages of the Club World Cup in July. Many are expecting the Englishman to boom again.
LW: Jamie Gittens—The former Borussia Dortmund starlet caught the eye in Chelsea’s friendlies and has seemingly played himself into the first Premier League XI of the season.
ST: João Pedro—Pedro couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Chelsea career. After contributing heavily to their success in the United States, the Brazilian netted in both of the Blues’ friendlies.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Crystal Palace: Maresca Hands Gittens, Hato Premier League Debuts.